Huskies win season opener

By MOLLY YANITY, P-I REPORTER

Updated
10:00 pm PDT, Friday, September 1, 2006

Junior Louis Rankin rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Washington Huskies to a 35-29 over San Jose State Saturday at Husky Stadium. The win gives Washington its first season-opening victory since 2001, despite the fact that the crowd of 52,256 was the smallest since 1981.

The Huskies, which have won just three times in the last two seasons, did some impressive things Saturday, but it is clear that the team is still in the learning-to-win mode.

In last year’s season-opener against Air Force, the Huskies squandered a 17-6 fourth-quarter lead and lost 20-17.

“I think that there is a process it takes to win, and I think our guys are going through that and there is a way you think and respond when you get a crisis situation,” coach Tyrone Willingham said.

After building a 21-9 halftime lead, the Huskies put themselves in that situation late in the game, allowing San Jose State to threaten them in the fourth quarter.Spartans quarterback Alex Tafralis, starting for the injured Sean Flynn, went 19 of 23 for 235 yards in the second half and San Jose State closed to within six points twice in the final quarter.

James Jones hauled in a 50-yard touchdown pass from Tafralis to pull to 28-22 with 5:32 remaining.

Compared to last year’s season-opener, the Huskies simply responded instead of folding.

Rankin answered Jones’ score by exploding for a 68-yard touchdown run on the first play of the drive.

The Spartans weren’t done, though. They used a 10-play drive to score on Jones’ 6-yard touchdown reception to close the gap to six points again at 35-29 with 2:03 remaining.

Johnie Kirton caught the onside kick, but the Huskies went three-and-out. This time the defense answered the call.

With less than a minute to play, the Spartans mounted one last drive, but senior Brandon Ala sacked Tarfalis and the score held.

“I think this is a hell of a start compared to last year, and I would be excited because last year we were 0-1 and today we are 1-0. That’s great to me,” Willingham said.

Washington’s first drive of the game ended in an Isaiah Stanback interception as Anthony Russo tipped the ball in the air for Spartan Dwight Lowery.

The Spartans turned it into a 3-0 lead on Jared Strubeck’s 40-yard field goal. It was San Jose State’s lone lead.

The interception will be inked in Stanback’s statistics, but the fifth-year senior was otherwise good.

His command of the offense was obvious. He threw with precision. He ran when called to do so and also tucked and ran when the situation called for it. He even blocked, throwing a down-field hit on a defender when Rankin weaved for a 34-yard second-quarter touchdown.

He wasn’t perfect – a notable incompletion was a misfire to Marcel Reece, wide open in the end zone – but overall Stanback impressed.

“He led us out there. He was very calm and Isaiah did what Isaiah does. I’m glad to see him do it in a game because he’s been doing it as long as I’ve known him,” Daniels said.

Stanback was 16-for-25 passing for 168 yards and had 17 carries for 102 yards. He scored a 6-yard rushing touchdown as well.

Rankin had a career day finishing with 145 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

The Huskies had 300 total rushing yards, a feat they accomplished but once last season, when they had 333 at Arizona in the tenth game of the season.

The low-lights, though, were a pair of fumbles that were turned over and the defensive letdown in the fourth quarter.

Willingham said that the secondary is a concern until it is completely healthy – cornerback Dashon Goldson (high ankle sprain) did not play. Matt Fountaine started for Goldson, but Mesphin Forrester saw the most action.

“The one thing about passing the football is that it is difficult to shut down everything in passing the ball,” Willingham said. “We know that there is going to be some give, but obviously we don’t want quite as much as we had this afternoon.”

Still, the Huskies haven’t been 1-0 in five years and taking the opener left the Huskies players and coaches smiling.

“It’s the first time I’ve had that feeling since I’ve been here,” Stanback said of walking into the locker room with a season-opening victory. “I’d like to have that feeling every time we play at home.”